I couldn't recognize the flag in his online profile, which had a star on a blue background. “Where are you from?” I asked. “Somalia. Do you know the country?” He replied. I was familiar with the name Somalia. In my region and language, the word somalia is often used to mean the land of poverty. I didn’t want to offend him. “I know your country name very well, even though I learnt nothing about Somlalians and their culture,” I said. “Is Somaliland another country or another name for your country? I started noticing that name recently.” “It is in Somalia.” I didn’t understand what he meant by that. He gave no further explanation. “Is it a state or region in Somalia?” I asked. “It is a state… a region…” I wondered why he was not sure if it was a state or region. “How is Kashmir now?” He asked. I didn't expect such a political question from him. How does this Somalian know a conflicted region in India? I was not interested in discussing political or religious issues with any stranger. “It is stable now,” I answered. “This question was out of the blue.” “You asked me about Somaliland.” He said. “Oh… sorry, I didn’t know that Somaliland was a politically sensitive topic.” “No issue. I am currently doing my graduation in politics.” “I like reading politics,” I said. “Can you explain the Somaliland issue in two or three sentences?” “Sure. Somaliland is a region of Somalia, which declared independence in 1991, and became autonomous. Somalia still claims it as part of Somalia. No UN member nations recognized Somaliland’s sovereignty.” “Excellent! crisp and clear!”